Marcus Semien New York Mets Introductory News Conference

Marcus Semien New York Mets Introductory News Conference

that would like to ask him a question, please use the raise your hand feature at the bottom of the screen. Uh please identify yourself as he’s getting the chance to meet all of you for the first time. And with that, we’ll start with uh uh Anthony. Hey Marcus, Anthony Doma with MLB.com. Uh I guess when did you first catch a whiff that something like this might happen and uh what was just the timeline of your eyes of of that and the trade actually coming to pass? How you doing, Anthony? Um, yeah. First, I just want to first start out by saying thank you to the Mets organization for welcoming welcoming me into their family. um found out on Friday. So last Friday the trade went down on or was announced Sunday, but I got a call from my agent and um you know I was I was training at the time. So I took the call and I you know I just heard that something might be happening between you know the Mets and the Rangers regarding me. So he said just keep your phone on and he’ll get back to me. Uh he called me later that evening. You know, he represents both of us, Brandon and uh me. So, he knew what was going on on both sides. He knew that it was a no trade clause on Brandon’s side that we were just kind of waiting on. So, that’s what my weekend looked like. Uh I guess what was maybe the level of of surprise um and what do you know about the Mets and what they’re trying to do here? Yeah, I mean I know in this business anything can happen. You know, I think that, you know, based off of the talk regarding where the Rangers were and the talk regarding where the Mets were, I I knew that anything was possible. You know, um I’m excited to join a ball club that has good veteran players, great veteran players, Hall of Famers, um and strong young players that look hungry. You know, I got a chance to sit back and watch the series in September. you know, I had an injury, so I I just sat back and watched. And I like the passion that, you know, the Mets players were playing with. I like the young pitching staff that they were putting out there and the stuff that those guys had. And, um, you know, I’ve just been thinking about that series and imagining myself on that side now and it makes me really excited. Thank you. Next question is from Mike Puma. Hey, uh, Marcus, Mike Puma from the New York Post. Uh, just wonder David Sterns yesterday referred to you as a winning player. Um, how how would you define that? How do you define a winning player? How you doing, Mike? Yeah. Um, you hear that a lot in this industry. You know, I heard that a lot with my former president, Chris Young. That’s what that’s what people are looking for in this industry. I think that for me, a winning player means somebody who’s going to go out there every single day and give it their all, sacrifice themselves, for the team. Um, put their body on the line for the team and, you know, go go out there and play baseball trying to do the things that help you win the game. You know, that means for me that means scoring runs, uh, producing runs, trying to keep the other team from scoring runs on defense, running the bases well, uh, taking care of, you know, all the fundamentals that baseball demands of us and, um, you know, doing something a little bit something extra to get a win for your team each night. And a as as a veteran player, how much will you look at part part of your job? Uh bringing people together in that clubhouse and and making sure everybody’s on the same wavelength. Yeah, that’s a that’s very important to me. That’s something that has always been a goal of mine and whatever clubhouse I’m in. I started out as a young player with the Chicago White Socks. I was traded pretty early in my career and, you know, traded to my hometown in Oakland, you know, where that was the best example, you know, at the time when I got to Oakland of what a brotherhood looked like. I moved on to Toronto where, you know, it was a younger group that had the same thing where they came they all came up together. And um you know as I got to Texas, you know, it’s just meeting new people, understanding who you’re playing with, also understanding your staff, who you’re working, you know, playing for with the coaches. And um I think everybody aligned to go out there and give it their all and put forth their best effort to win baseball games is, you know, a culture that I want to be a part of. Thank you, Bruce Beck. Hey, Marcus, welcome. What would you like New York fans to know about you? Thanks, Bruce. Um, you know, I I’m a a god-fearing man. I’m a family man. I am extremely passionate about the game of baseball. I’ve been playing this game for, you know, almost 31 years, right? Started out at n maybe 29 years. I started out at 6 years old. Um, and I haven’t stopped since then. You know, I fell in love with the game at a young age growing up in the Bay Area watching the San Francisco Giants, Oakland A’s teams, and u just continued to get better and better each stage of my, you know, my life. And as I became a a professional, I realize the kind of player I want to be. I want to be a player who plays every single day. I want to be a player who runs every single ball out. And I want to be a player who, you know, is talented. You know, talent talent is also important in this game. So, I’m still doing that, you know, and it’s it’s a huge part of who I am. At 35 13 years in the league, how much do you feel you have left? I want to play until they tell me to go home. you know, um, at this point in my career, it feels extremely good to have a team that believes in me, uh, sees what I do well, wants to help me. Um, offensively, I think that I still have a lot to offer. You know, I’m disappointed in the way that I performed offensively last year. Uh, had a good start in 2024. And you know, I think that just having conversations with Jeff Albert and I’m looking forward to talking to Troy Snitker about, you know, what I need to do to be that MVP caliber bat in this lineup, you know, is is my goal. Happy holidays. Thank you. Thank Laura Albanese. Hey Marcus, it’s Laura Albanese from News Day. I mean, you’re coming into a clubhouse that obviously has a big veteran presence, but also a lot of youth in there as well. I mean, just how do you view your role as a leader? What is your leadership style? And how do you think you’ll fit into the kind of that that entire amalgamation? Hi, Laura. Yes. Um, my style as a leader, you know, it’s definitely something that, you know, has evolved. You know, I think the one thing the one thing that has remained constant for me is leading by example with how I work. Um, leading by example with how I respect each member of the organization. Uh, treat everybody like a man or a woman, whoever is whoever you’re working with. Um, and for me, I’m mostly talking about my teammates here. Respect them. help them through tough times, get to know them as a person, get to know their families, so that when we when we go out to battle, we know how each other’s going to react. You know, I think that’s part of being a leader, too, is you don’t just go out there and play baseball and go home and you don’t talk to anybody. You know, you you build relationships with your guys. Um that may mean more time off the field spent together. you know, that’s that’s something I’m very um you know, passionate about is making sure we spend time off the field together, too. And all those things can help once we’re out there on the field. Thank you, Abby Mraco. Hi, Marcus. Abby Mraco from the New York Daily News. Uh you know, it’s not often that two sort of franchise bases on long-term contracts get traded for each other. You and Brandon NMO are probably experiencing some of the same emotions right now. Just kind of what are the emotions of going from, you know, a place where you thought you would be playing for a significant amount of your career to a new place now? Thanks, Abby. Yes. Um, you know, it it was surprising, you know, just understanding that, hey, I signed here on a long-term deal 4 years ago, but once again, like I’m I’m very conscious of what’s going on in the the business side of baseball. Um, and just kind of paying attention to everything. So, in the back of my mind, I I knew something could always happen. And my family, you know, we’re a family of seven. We just had our fifth child 3 weeks ago. You know, those kind of things logistically, we will work out. But in terms of baseball itself, I couldn’t be more excited to play in a large market, play in front of a fan base that brings the energy every single night because that brings the best out of me, you know. So, that’s the part I’m very excited about. And sort of going back to your offense, uh, you know, what did you find in late May and June when it looked like you had a couple you had a pretty good stretch there and some of the power started to come back? Yeah, I came in, you know, I think it was like right after um, a series we had on the road. Tough series for me. We we had St. Louis coming in, a team that was pretty hot at the time. And you know, I talked to Justin Vely and Brett Boone, our hitting coaches in Texas, and I said, “Hey, I want to I don’t want to tinker every single day trying to find something. I am who I am. Let’s let’s perfect something this series. Let’s continue to work on the same things and build off something.” Uh that night, I think I went four for four with I don’t know, a home run, two home runs maybe. Uh it it was just a good day and I I continued that through June. Got to the All-Star break, came out a little slow and then I felt like I was finding finding my way going into September and and broke my foot. So, you know, unfortunately the season did not end health-wise if I wanted to, but I felt like I was, you know, going to finish strong and get us into the playoffs and it didn’t happen. But, you know, that May and June was, you know, definitely the hottest I had been last year. And you know, there’s definitely some things that Jeff Albert and Troy Snicker and the rest of the hitting crew will, you know, just look at what I do when I’m at my best and help me better understand those things because sometimes as hitters, we just go off field and maybe we don’t know exactly why it’s working, but uh we go with it. But a lot of a lot of information has been coming my way so far. Mike Fitzpatrick. Hey, Marcus. Uh, Mike Fitzpatrick from the Associated Press here in New York. Um, you mentioned, uh, the large market, New York City in the large market. You’re no stranger to large markets, having, you know, played in Chicago and and Dallas. Um, but what are what are your thoughts about, uh, you know, playing in New York and in front of these fans and and everything that that brings? Thanks, Mike. Yeah, I I think that when people ask me what’s your favorite road city, I say New York. You know, I love being in the city. I grew up on the West Coast in a you know, similar environment, San Francisco Bay area. Maybe not as large as New York, but in terms of culture, um you know, it’s it’s definitely a place that I really enjoy being. And then I get to do what I love in that city in front of fans that love the game. There’s a strong history with the Mets organization. There’ve been great players who’ve came through there and done some good things and I just want to be one of those players. And one other thing, you know, David Sterns and the Mets have have made no secret that they’re very eager to get better defensively this this off season. Um, you’re a 35-year-old middle infielder. It it’s not necessarily easy for a 35-year-old middle infielder to be considered uh, you know, such an excellent defender and and moving forward. How have you been able to do that? Um what what’s the key to that for you and how much pride do you take in that? I take a ton of pride in keeping my body healthy. Uh making sure my my defense is on point because you want to make sure your pitchers feel comfortable making pitches, pitching to contact. Um, I I played shortstop for, you know, the first half of my career in Oakland and made the move over to second. And I feel like the transition was definitely easier making throws and, you know, really just focus on what what balls I can go get, you know, how many balls can I go get in the infield that may have been base hits that I can take away. Um, and I feel like I’ve been doing a solid job at that since I made the transition when I was first in Toronto. I learned it took me an entire spring training to kind of relearn all the intricacies of second base. And, you know, the last four years, I’ve definitely found a home there, you know. So winning the gold glove is, you know, was was special to me, especially where I came from earlier in my career where defense was the question mark and the bat was what everybody was excited about. So it’s been cool. Andrew Trenik, hey Marcus, welcome. Uh Andrew Trennick with north jersey.com. I’m just curious, what was kind of the biggest takeaway from you from winning the World Series back in 2023? Obviously joining a team that that has those aspirations. Thanks, Andrew. Yeah, winning the World Series in 2023, you know, I’ve never been so emotional after a game. You I just remember uh hugging my parents, you know, hugging my dad just with tears of joy, you know what I mean? It’s just um you know the ultimate it’s the pinnacle in this game winning the World Series and the way that that 2023 Rangers team did it sneaking into the playoffs after having a strong start to our season and we kind of just like had a lot of ups and downs in the second half figured out what we needed to do at the end of the year and and got really hot at the end. You know, I think that that was a special way to win. There’s a lot of ways to get in. There’s a lot of ways to win the World Series. We did it with the strong offense and, you know, a lot of players who played good defense and um the bullpen figured it out and it was, you know, just a special time. But during that season, we also had our daughter, our fourth child, you know, during the playoff run. So, it’s it’s just a year that I’ll never forget. You you touched on the injury a little bit. Obviously, you’ve been, you know, really durable throughout your career. What was kind of the the biggest lesson from that and how are you feeling physically right now? I’m feeling great. You know, it was a foul ball that I fouled off my foot and cracked a bone and sprained a ligament at the same time. Either when I went down from being in pain or, you know, on on impact. We still don’t know how it happened. But that was a tough one because I like I said, like I told Abby, um I felt like I was on my way to having a strong finish to get us into the playoffs and it didn’t happen. Watching baseball, you watching Major League Baseball for that long, you know, was something that was new to me, you know, recently. Um so I learned a lot. I try my best to help the young guys, especially the guys who are playing second base like Cody Freeman, um Josh Smith a little bit and Ezekiel Durant because I knew that I had been there for so many years without any injuries. So, anything I could do to try and help the guys I did in the meantime in the clubhouse, I just tried to continue to be myself. Um, you know, whether it was just keeping the guys loose, rooting on the guys, uh, playing cards, whatever it was I could do to keep guys in their routine, I was trying to do my best. Mark Sanchez. Hey, Marcus. Mark Sanchez from the New York Post. Welcome and thanks for doing this. Um, your numbers last year were way better on the road than at home, which was true of really of that whole Rangers team where it seems like Globe Life was not the most friendly place to be playing. Just did it feel like that hitting hitting environment deflated your numbers any and and is it could it be helpful to play somewhere else? How you doing, Mark? Yeah, I think um everybody was trying to figure out, you know, why the ball wasn’t carrying as much. Um, we had a great home record though. You know, we we still had one of the best home records in the league. Our pitching staff thrived at home and our defense played really well. So, nobody was, you know, feeling like, man, we we can’t figure it out at home cuz we’re winning. In terms of everybody’s individual years, I’d probably say, um, as a right-handed hitter playing at Globe Life, it it definitely played a little bigger to left center. My game has always been to try and pull that pull that ball over there so you know you can get it out a little easier. But um I’ll never make a ballpark that I play in an excuse for why I didn’t do well. There’s always ways to, you know, work around certain things that may not play to my strengths and and figure it out. That’s what this game’s all about. When I think about City Field, a place that I haven’t played too often, but when I have played there, I’ve really felt good seeing the ball well there. Uh, looks like the guys had some good numbers at home. And, um, you know, historically they say it’s a pitcher park, but when we got in there, it looked like some, you know, a lot of offense. So, you know, I’m excited to go over there and and see what I can do. Thank you. Mike Manuso. Hey Marcus, welcome. Uh, and happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Um, was wondering if you had ever gotten to meet Brandon NMO at all and can you talk about replacing him uh, in this trade, so to speak, and maybe your thoughts on playing with Francisco Lindor in the middle of the infield. Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving, Mike. Yeah. Um I’ve met Brandon once and this this was in I think it was West Palm Beach during the lockout that we had, you know, union stuff, right? We we were trying to get back on the field and Brandon, I know he was a player rep for the Mets, you know, with the Union stuff and, you know, we just we were mostly talking about that kind of stuff. It wasn’t necessarily a baseball conversation. Me being in the AL West and Brandon being in the ML East, we did not cross paths too much, but I’ve always respected his game. I see how hard he runs. I see how hard he plays defense. He he’s been a fixture, you know, for the New York Mets for 10 years. You know, he came up as a high school, you know, firstrounder and and made it all the way through and had a great career in New York, signed a long-term deal. And, you know, I think for Brandon, Texas is going to be a good place that he fits in, you know, very well in that clubhouse. his game will definitely play well in that ballpark when I mean I know he can go get it in the outfield and I know that you know he’s got pullside power you which will play very well in in globe light Mark Healey hey uh Marcus welcome to New York and uh happy Thanksgiving to you and your family congratulations on the birth of your uh latest style. Uh, I want to talk about or ask about uh what uh uh Mike just uh talked about with replacing um Brandon NMO. Not just, you know, not just uh in this trade, but also, you know, Brandon’s one of the most popular Mets, you know, ever, you know, since he’s been around. So, uh, it’s definitely like one of those situations where the pressure of replacing a a it’s a combination of of the pressure of replacing a really uh favorite player, but also playing for in New York for the first time. Are you are you do you feel that like you’re prepared to deal with that double sided pressure? Thanks, Mark. Yeah, I guess I didn’t fully answer the question about replacing Brandon. Um, I understand how good of a, you know, clubhouse presence Brandon was. I understand, you know, how much of a fan favorite Brandon was. And I, you know, I feel for the Mets fans when when you lose a player who’s been present and who’s been such a fixture in that lineup and in the community and, you know, has a great personality and such a nice guy. Um, you know, I feel for the fans. For me, you know, I want to get to know the fans, get to know the community, let my game do the talking. Um, and I think I definitely will be a a a presence in that locker room that guys can can lean on. That’s always a goal of mine to be that, you know, be that for for my teammates. I’m excited to join two leaders in Francisco Lindor and Juan Stoodto. When I said Hall of Famers, those are the two guys I’m referring to. Um I’m excited to learn from them, bounce things off of them and just, you know, fill in in a way that, you know, hopefully Brandon things that he did, hopefully I can fill in and and do as well. Jared Sadler. Hey, Marcus. Um, when you signed with the Rangers, they were coming off a 100 loss season and in two years became World Series champions. What were some of the highlights for you over that 2-year stretch to go from where the team was when you signed that first year, which I know was a little rocky, to then make that huge leap, but just the the process of of transitioning from where the team was to where the team ended up being after that 2023 season. Good good to see you again, Jared. Yeah. Um, you know, it it was a tough first half of 2022, you know, coming in trying to, you know, just see what went wrong in 2021. You know, you you mentioned it 100 loss season. Um, you know, I think when the team let go of Chris Woodward and let go of John Daniels, it was very eye opening because, you know, signing a long-term deal with an organization and seeing that big of change in leadership mid year, you know, was like, okay. But I understood that Chris Young was going to be in charge. And I listened to Chris Young throughout the free agent process, free agency process, and his vision. And I know Ray believed in it. And he he told us it might take some patience year one. Um, and then we got into 2023 and everybody had a career year at the plate and we were guys that already played good defense. We had strong starting pitching. We lost Deg Grom, you know, early on. So, that was a that was a shakeup but to Tommy John, but everybody continued to swing the bats well and play the best baseball of their career and it all came together. Um, so that that time was special. You know, building those relationships with the guys in Texas is something I’ll never forget. We made Texas our our offseason home. We put our kids in school here. So just being around the community, especially at my my son’s baseball tournaments and, you know, saying hi to young kids who may be Rangers fans. Those are times that, you know, I’ll always cherish. And our final question is from Mark Rosenberg. Hey Marcus, Mark Roseman from kindnessc corner.com. Welcome to New York. Uh two-part question. The first part is you mentioned that you had got wind of uh the possible trade on Friday till it was completed. uh from that interim part, did you start calling around or even speak to like Jacob Deg Grom or guys on your team that have played in New York to find out a feel for that? And the second part of the question is you’re known as a guy that always posts up until last season that that freak injury. You play in almost every single game. The guy that’s going to be playing short does the same. And if the Mets signed Pete, he’s another guy. Have you thought about being an infield at three4s never miss a game? Thanks. Thanks, Mark. Yeah. Um, I’ll answer the second question because it makes it just excites me to play with guys who post every single day. Um, that’s something that I learned with the White Sox organization. U, I came up in the minor leagues with the White Socks. My farm director was Buddy Bell. Buddy Bell’s baseball card has a lot of 161s, 162, 160, 159. Um, as my career has gone on, it looks similar. You know, look, there’s some years where, you know, freak things have happened, but I’m proud of I’m I’m proud of that, you know. Um, I got to talk to Buddy this season at a Rangers event cuz he was a Ranger as well, and we we just laughed about it, you I told him, you know, he he really inspired me to continue to play every day because I feel like when I play every day, I get better. You know, experience is key in this game. Playing every day, getting better throughout the year is something that I I want to do. Um, in terms of, you know, Friday, how it went with the trade, uh, Scott, my agent, was really adamant about keeping things quiet. So, I didn’t talk to many people about it. Of course, I talked to my family, Tara, my wife. Uh I told my kids, you know, just trying to prepare my family for what’s ahead. Uh once we got to Sunday, I called Max Sherzer. He’s a guy who’s played in both places. He’s a World Series champ, 2023. Um, you know, I just asked him a lot more about family stuff more than baseball stuff, you know, because I know he he has four kids of his own and just kind of bounce some things off of him about, you know, how we’re going to do things moving forward. But other than that, I had to keep quiet on it really. Marcus, thank you very much for your time this afternoon and we can’t welcome you.

New York Mets 2B Marcus Semien is introduced as a member of the organization.

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